Ideas about best route to take while in Europe. We want to spend time in the Netherlands (not sure how many days) and see some of Germany. What do you recommend? How many days in Germany vs Netherlands. Points of interest not to miss. We are flying in and out of amsterdam. What towns are the best to spend the nights in? Any suggestions are welcome.
Posted by
Westside, RP, Germany
109 posts
Hi Gayle,
Sounds like a wonderful vacation. You'll have plenty to see in both countries.
A couple questions for you:
Does the 12 days include the day you arrive and the day you leave?
What ages are you traveling with?
I like Steve's suggestion for a trip but I would modify it more. I would probably spend about 4 days total in the Netherlands (You could do it in 3...but with jet lag it might be painful), and then spend the other 8 in Germany.
I would do 1-2 days in Haarlem seeing the sights and recovering a bit from jet lag. Then head over to Amsterdam for a day or two and see those sights.
After that follow the route into Bacharach but only spend one day there.
I would skip Rothenburg and Munich and head for Fussen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, or nearby towns. Consider a car for this part of the trip. Take a tour of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau one day and then head to Innsbruck Austria the next day. You can include a side trip to the Swarovski factory (mostly for shopping..the display is..mildly interesting) otherwise there is a large swarovski store in Innsbruck with a winter themed display in the basement. The Imperial Palace is quite interesting as well.
Head to Gimmelwald in Switzerland next. Enjoy some hiking and scenery as well as a much needed break for a day.
If you want to include France, head to Paris and spend the rest of the time there before heading back to catch your flight.
Now, to do this itinerary, you'll need to catch the earliest and latest trains possible. Consider 4-5am or 8-10pm departures to get the most out of your days.
Let us know what kind of traveler you are and we're more than happy to help more!